Licantropies

I love books from this publisher: they mostly curate publications of Gothic fiction coming from the public domain, but they’re splendidly curated, translated with love, and assembled in lovely products. They’ll let you discover and rediscover gems at the very heart of our contemporary horror sensibilities.

In reading this collection, for instance, you’ll confirm that main characters in spooky stories always had one thing in common throughout the ages, down to our modern horror films: they always make stupid-ass decisions.

This collection of stories is centred on werewolves, as you might have guessed, and it’s made of three parts:

1. short stories by authors that are either well-known (George MacDonald, Robert E. Howard, H.H. Munro better known as Saki, Felix Claire) or with whom you might be less acquainted;
2. legends that look at Europe and beyond, including gems such as the ones by Tanaka Kōtarō, René Basset and Horacio Quiroga;
3. historical documents featuring supposed sightings, trials, hunts, clinic observation).

They’re a delight, from start to end, though sometimes you’ll find yourself wondering “what the hell did I just read?” or, better still, shouting at the pages “run, you fucking idiot, run!”

I guess horror, just like war, never changes.